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Walt Disney Animation Studios
Walt Disney Animation Studios is an American animation film studio and the film production studio of The Walt Disney Studios under Walt Disney Pictures banner. History 1923-1984 See: Walt Disney Productions 1984-1986 In 1984, Walt Disney Productions underwent a major shakeup, along with Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Frank Wells, and renamed as Walt Disney Pictures. However, along with the failure of The Black Cauldron, the company wanted to ended all animation production. To save the studio's core, Roy E. Disney persuaded Eisner keeped the animation product. Finally, the animation department had been split from the live-action department, which became Walt Disney Feature Animation. Later, Peter Schneider became the first president of the studio. On February 1985, The whole animation department leaved Burbank, and moved into a former hanger 20 miles away in Glendale. 1986-1989 Later, The Great Mouse Detective, the first animated feature produced by the studio released on July 2, 1986, become the first successful film in Disney's First Dark Age (1979-1989). However, the studio met their first competitor: Universal Pictures, and be beaten by their more successful animated film An American Tail at the same year. Later, in 1988, The studio's second film, Oliver & Company, became a huge successful and beat Universal's The Land Before Time at the first week. At the same year, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, a live action/animation hybrid film directed by Robert Zemeckis and Richard Williams and produced by Steven Spielberg, become one of the huge success of the studio and received 4 Academy Awards. 1989-2000 The Little Mermaid, the third film of the studio, released on November 17, 1989, returned to classic Disney princess musical film. It beat The Land Before Time''s record and became the highest box office animated feature and received two Academy Awards. Along its successful, Disney began the second golden age. Also, the new art style began in this film, becomes the most iconc Disney animation style and even today Disney is still using it. In 1990, ''The Rescuers Down Under, the sequel of The Rescuers in 1977, become the first box office bomb of the studio, although it used computer render into the 2D traditional animation. One year later, Beauty and the Beast beat The Little Mermaid as the highest box office animated film in 1991 and it also became the first animated feature that nominated the Best Pictures of Academic Awards. In 1992, Disney broke the record again with Aladdin with $504 million box office, and it become the highest box office film in that year. Also, the theme song A Whole World received a Academy Award. The Lion King, the most successful 2D traditional Animation of all time, released on June 24, 1994. It received $969 million from 1994 to 2018 ($763 million in 1994's original release, $19 million in 2002's IMAX release, $186 million in 2011's 3D release and $27 thousand from 2016 and 2018's release). However, Jeffrey Katzenberg left Disney in October 1994 because the disagreement. From 1995 to 1999, Walt Disney Feature Animation release another four animated feature films. Pocahontas in 1995 get success although it only receive mix-to-negative reviews because the Indigenous historical reason. The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1996 and Hercules in 1997, also get successful and positive reviews. In 1998, Mulan became another successful film at that year. In 1999, Tarzan began the first Disney 2D traditional animated film with full-length 3D CGI background and the first Disney animated film include all songs that be the Pop and Rock. 2000-2006 However, Along with the rise of CGI animation studios such as Pixar Animation Studios, DreamWorks Animation and Blue Sky Studios, Walt Disney Feature Animation started their second dark age. In 2000, WDFA released two animated features: a traditional 2D animation film Fantisia 2000 and a Animation between CGI and live-action film Dinosaur. Fantasia became a box office success but Dinosaur only got small and unsatisfastion success. Later Disney shut down the production department called The Secret Lab that maked Dinosaur. In 2001, Disney lost more marketshare of animation box office since DreamWorks' Shrek released. The Emperor's New Groove still got small success, but Atlantis: The Lost Empire became a box office bomb although it still have good reviews. More and more lost happend on Disney since 2002. Lilo & Stitch became a huge successful for the studio, but later, Treasure Planet in 2002, Brother Bear in 2003 and Home on the Range both became box office bombs for Disney. In 2004, WDFA choose to end the 2D traditional animation production, the sub-studios in Japan, France, Australia and Orlando were shut down between 2003 to 2004. Finally, Disney lost all hopes from audience in 2005. Chicken Little, the first full-length CGI animation made by WDFA, received terrible reviews although it become a little success, and most of other Disney's films are become box office failure in this year and lead Disney became the last 2nd highest box office marketshare in Hollywood's Big Six. Along with these failures, Roy O Disney finally began the "Save Disney" action in early 2006. Later, Michael Eisner was fired from Disney and Bob Iger become the new leader of Disney. Later, with Iger's leading, Disney bought Pixar Animation Studios, then Walt Disney Feature Animation had been shut down. 2007-2009 After the defunct of Walt Disney Feature Animation, Disney choose to let John Lasseter founded the new animation studio called "Walt Disney Animation Studios" for Disney. During 2007 to 2008, WADS continued to finish the rest two projects from Walt Disney Feature Animation. In 2007, Meet the Robinsons released with mixed to negative reviews and become the unsuccessful, but in 2008, Disney received their first both reviews and box office successful since 2002 with Bolt. 2009-2018 Although Bolt became a successful film for Disney, Disney's competitors already have more successful films such as DreamWorks' Sherk 2 in 2004, Blue Sky's Ice Age: The Meltdown in 2006 and Kong Fu Panda in 2008. Lasseter found that to totally save Disney, they must have a revolution for Disney's Animation. Later, Lesseter cancelled all sequel project made by Disneytoon Studios, and stopped the new CGI animation style of Disney from Chicken Little to Bolt. In 2009, a 2D traditional animation film called The Princess and the Frog released, it is the first WADS film produced with Lessater, and it became a review successful animated film for Disney. However, the box office was still below Disney's satisfaction, later Lessater found the title "Princess" can't makes male audiences' interest, so they choose to renamed their CGI princess film Rapunzel to Tangled, the traditional princess film The Snow Queen to Frozen, In 2010, Tangled released in theaters. It is the first Disney's CGI animated film in 2010s and the first Disney's CGI animated film that using the classic art style from The Little Mermaid and Disney's first CGI princess film. It become the most successful film for WADS since The Lion King. Starts this film, Disney's CGI animated feature film are all begin with 2D traditional drawing with 1989's Disney art style then generated with CGI. In 2011, Winnie the Pooh released in summer at the same weak with Warner Bros. Pictures' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2. however, it become a box office bomb for Disney with same situation that happens on Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet. With its failure, Disney found that the full-length 2D traditional animation is totally out of the time. In April 2013, Disney finally stopped the 2D traditional animation department. However, with Tangled 's success, Disney continued most animators for 2D animation merged into CGI department, and the tow in production project Frozen and Moana are switched into 3D CGI animation from 2D traditional animation. In 2012, for the first time Disney beat DreamWorks with Wreck-it Ralph while DreamWorks' Rise of the Guardians released at the same time become a box office bomb. One year after, Frozen, the first Disney princess film that without true love from family and friendship instead romance, breaks the box office record of animation feature film that made by Toy Story 3, and it become the first Disney animated film that reached $1 billion box office. Also, Frozen received two Academy Awards with Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. It is the first WADS film received Academy Awards since Tarzan received Best Original Song in 2000. Disney continue raised their successful. In 2014, Disney released the first comic-based superheroes animated film Big Hero 6 in November, it become the highest animated box office in that year and introduced their new technology with new lighting system and the render system for million people in same scene. In 2016, Zootopia became the second WADS film reached $1 billion box office. Then Disney continued update their render system of water with Moana in same year. In 2017, Lesseter had been found that he had a history of alleged sexual misconduct towards both WADS and Pixar's employees. Later, Lesseter said he will leave Disney in June. 2018-present After Lesseter left. Jennifer Lee, the director and writer of Frozen, become the new CCO of WADS. Later, in June 2018, along with Walt Disney Pictures cancelled all direct-to-video project in 2015, Disney shut down Disneytoon Studios, the last sub-studio of WADS. In November 2018, WADS's first sequel animation film after 1990's The Rescuers Down Under, released with success box office. In 2019, After Disney bought 20th Century Fox, Clark Spencer become the new leader of the studio after Andrew Millstein transfered to Blue Sky Studios. Currently, Frozen II is playing in theaters and it already become the third WADS film that reached $1 billion box office. The next WADS animation film, Raya and the Last Dragon will released in November 2020. Filmography About the film's list of Walt Disney Animation Studios, please see the Film List.Category:Walt Disney Studios Division Category:Production Division